How many here are retired but still go to a job somewhere besides working on your own stuff.

[gtx6970]

Not yet.

Retirement is a click under 7 weeks away. Dec 22nd is my last day. Aka Merry Christmas to me.


I have a post retirement list already started. So I figure that will keep me busy for a year or 2.

Then " might " look at something part time . Just to get out of the house a bit.

We plan to travel a bit.
Hawaii next spring.
And looking at maybe an Italy trip in a couple years.

 

[68BabyBlue]

Not having angst about what was going on while away and the pile of work I'd be coming back to made that particular trip that much more enjoyable to me, on a personal level.

I've had the same experience, dealt with vacation angst from beginning to end during my working years, could never fully enjoy them. During my office days, there was always a crisis that had to be dealt with while I was gone. When I went back on the truck, I had to schedule vacations around customer shutdowns, and always had the stress of making it home in time to get caught up after they started up. Vacationing in off peak times, now that I'm retired, has also proved to be far cheaper, as well as being more relaxing.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Not yet.

Retirement is a click under 7 weeks away. Dec 22nd is my last day. Aka Merry Christmas to me.


I have a post retirement list already started. So I figure that will keep me busy for a year or 2.

Then " might " look at something part time . Just to get out of the house a bit.

We plan to travel a bit.
Hawaii next spring.
And looking at maybe an Italy trip in a couple years.

Sounds like a plan Stan.

 

[Richard Cranium]

I've had the same experience, dealt with vacation angst from beginning to end during my working years, could never fully enjoy them. During my office days, there was always a crisis that had to be dealt with while I was gone. When I went back on the truck, I had to schedule vacations around customer shutdowns, and always had the stress of making it home in time to get caught up after they started up. Vacationing in off peak times, now that I'm retired, has also proved to be far cheaper, as well as being more relaxing.

We’ve got two pair of friends in Florida, one on the east coast and one on the west coast and we are planning on taking a couple weeks in the late winter to leisurely drive down there to visit each of them. The plan is to include taking in some sites/points of interest on the way down and on the way back.

 

[SlingLow]

Through the years that I flipped houses, I had a saying and that is, 'I don't work for money'. I never became a contractor and I worked exclusively on my own projects. Often, the people who saw my work would want me to do remodel work for them and I would use that saying. My explanation was, 'If I work for pay, the expectations go WAY up. People expect me to show up, they expect me to show up on time, they expect quality work, they expect the job to get finished, they expect the job to get finished on time. Too much pressure for this ol' boy!' I do what I want, then the buyer comes in and decides if that's what they want. Great system.

Now I am able to help friends with projects with no expectation for payback. It helps me keep my Karma bank full. I have another saying when I offer to help someone with something and they say, 'you don't have to do that'. I tell them, 'I do LOTS of stuff I don't have to do but I don't do ANYTHING I don't want to do'. It lets them know that I want to help out.

 

[MarPar]

Not having angst about what was going on while away and the pile of work I'd be coming back to made that particular trip that much more enjoyable to me

THIS is what I am looking forward to most.

 

[Ron H]

Odd how much my retirement ideas I had thought about for years are vastly different being retired about two years now. Thoughts of moving to a warmer climate, recreation, and kicking back…none a that has happened. Well, some kicking back, as I’m not in the rush I used to be in. Time is like building a bigger garage, you fill it up wanting more space, lol. A lot of my time has been spent on house improvements and fixes, add my kids buying old houses helping them out. Seems to NEVER end. Complete one project and by that time there are half-dozen others on deck. But I don’t get in a hurry doing them unless it is a priority fix. And not much of the time has been doing some things on my old ride. Something else pops up pushing it down the list.

I’m not unhappy about it, yeah could pay some contractors to do some work and have done this too, though hate having them do stuff I can still do. Used to play golf and golfing whenever I wanted was one of my retirement ideas. Haven’t played in 7 years and every time I get the gumption, nix it having other stuff on the list I prefer to get behind me. Not sure I could play well anyway post neck fusion that stopped my playing days during recovery and didn’t get back into it. Lol, thoughts of only being able to hit 150-yard drives and shooting 100 isn’t my idea of fun. If I want miserable way to spend the time, I’ll take a drive on the freeway.

Yep as some posted, sure don’t miss all the BS I put up with working for 50 years..

 

[gtx6970]

Same here.

I've not touched my golf clubs in 6 or 7 years.

I would like that to change.
But I have a feeling I'm going to have other things on my plate that will take priorty over golf.
Not that I was very good anyway.
But I liked to play. Mainly 9 holes and walk it.. Then a few cold drinks after was always nice.

 

[Ron H]

Then a few cold drinks after was always nice.

Lol, yeah cold drinks. Had a position with a work comp insurance company transferring from risk control to an account manager/underwriter job. Wow, never played so much golf and on-the-job, than I ever did before or after. The deal was independent brokers/agencies holding golf outings at their private clubs and my company would do the same. The idea – entertaining to keep the biz relationship ripe. And many were liquor-fests, geezuz, all the top-line free beverages delivered by gorgeous gals on the course, then after, a big fancy dinner, nice prizes, and more…liquor! Amazed I made it home a few times w/o being pulled over, or worse. This was 30+ years ago before such antics became taboo. Did that job for about 5-years before taking a promotion. Five years was enough though with that lifestyle and my wife, thankfully tolerated it well. Good Lord, some of those old brokers looked 15 years older then they were with bad livers, hearts, and sunburned skin.

 

[68BabyBlue]

Lol, yeah cold drinks. Had a position with a work comp insurance company transferring from risk control to an account manager/underwriter job. Wow, never played so much golf and on-the-job, than I ever did before or after. The deal was independent brokers/agencies holding golf outings at their private clubs and my company would do the same. The idea – entertaining to keep the biz relationship ripe. And many were liquor-fests, geezuz, all the top-line free beverages delivered by gorgeous gals on the course, then after, a big fancy dinner, nice prizes, and more…liquor! Amazed I made it home a few times w/o being pulled over, or worse. This was 30+ years ago before such antics became taboo. Did that job for about 5-years before taking a promotion. Five years was enough though with that lifestyle and my wife, thankfully tolerated it well. Good Lord, some of those old brokers looked 15 years older then they were with bad livers, hearts, and sunburned skin.

That brought back some memories. In my corporate days I spent a lot of time with drunk insurance guys. Also 30 years ago. I was always the designated driver, because as a lawyer, I had the most to lose.

 

[Krooser]

My opinion after 10 years of retirement is do your bucket list NOW...don't put it off.

I have had two near misses with death since retiring... a widowmaker heart attack in 2020 and a blood infection last July... I was lucky to make it out alive.

If you feel sick... out of breath.. have any signs of distress call the ambulance. My $24,000 helicopter ride to fix my heart cost me a $250 deductible.

Worry about your life and family not money...

 

[Wojo68]

Through the years that I flipped houses, I had a saying and that is, 'I don't work for money'. I never became a contractor and I worked exclusively on my own projects. Often, the people who saw my work would want me to do remodel work for them and I would use that saying. My explanation was, 'If I work for pay, the expectations go WAY up. People expect me to show up, they expect me to show up on time, they expect quality work, they expect the job to get finished, they expect the job to get finished on time. Too much pressure for this ol' boy!' I do what I want, then the buyer comes in and decides if that's what they want. Great system.

Now I am able to help friends with projects with no expectation for payback. It helps me keep my Karma bank full. I have another saying when I offer to help someone with something and they say, 'you don't have to do that'. I tell them, 'I do LOTS of stuff I don't have to do but I don't do ANYTHING I don't want to do'. It lets them know that I want to help out.

Exactly. In regards to working for customers or to help friends. Helping friends with projects is less responsibility and way less stressful.

 

[moparedtn]

First, to all of you who have already related your stories of how your careers went and how you've successfully
arrived at retirement (in whatever manifestation it has taken for you), I say:

Seriously. Good job and I hope the best for all of you!

Now, me?
Keep in mind, I am not grousing here - I am so very aware of how Blessed I am to still even be above dirt, trust me!
I had worked and tolerated so many things in my own career in order to have retirement all planned out, too...
Well, that said...my medical situation being what it turned out to be the last dozen years or so - the "nest egg" is long
gone, needless to say.
Couple that with my accelerated aging thing and suffice to say, I will be working until the day I'm not here anymore.
Again, Blessed to be here to do so.

Further blessed to have gotten off the commuting/road inspection route I rode for over 3 decades, too - this gig now
is probably perfect for me, working from home and all.
If a fella had to go through all I have, this ain't a bad place to land.

So....
Despite the SSI folks sending me stuff all the time now that I've reached "early out" age with them, I'll pass on that.
Nobody could live off that alone, that's for sure - and other than what I've done for a living for over 40 years now,
I wouldn't be much use for anyone else on a part-time basis, so here we are.

I love reading about you alls' adventures in retirement and I can do so without so much as a jealous hair raising on
my noggin - and if you squint just right, I'm sorta getting paid to be sorta retired now myself, honestly.